We just sent out our invitation to pilots to attend this years Gila Valley Balloon Extravaganza event over New Year's.  Pilots are coming from Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, California and possibly other areas. Most pilots love to tell the story of their balloon or how they got into ballooning, so we encourage visitors to welcome our pilots and learn more about them. Every balloon has a name and a story.  To see the pilots who attended last year, simply select 2022/2023 from the drop down below.

Pilot: My first balloon flight was in a special shape during Albuquerque Aloft in 2018.  By the following Wednesday on my second flight during Fiesta, I was hooked.  I crewed for 3 years following a nationally ranked balloon pilot to competitions around the country before buying my own balloon.  I love flying at balloon events and being an ambassador of the sport.

Balloon: Air Rocky Top is a 2004 Cameron Z-105.  It was named by the previous owner who owned Rocky Top Press out of New York.  The logo is stylized in the same logo as Rocky Top Press.  The balloon has dual turning vents and a Rapid Deflation System.

Pilot: I am here

Pilot:

Balloon Name: Calico Rose

Type: Adam’s AB120 – 135,000 cu ft

Pilot Name: Kenny Bradley

Hometown:  Ault, Colorado

Pilot Bio:  Kenny Bradley has dreamt of flying since he was 7 years old.  A Machinist/Welder/Fabricator by trade, he met Mark Purdy when a repair was needed on his balloon trailer.  It took little convincing for Kenny to accept an invitation to go flying! He took his first balloon ride in December 2009 and caught the bug! He began crewing and working towards the purchase of his first balloon in Fall of 2011 and earned his private pilots certificate in September 2013.  Kenny has volunteered for tethers at special events including Breast Friends Footsteps for Hope to raise funds supporting women fighting breast cancer.  He has also tethered at the Weld County Fair in Greeley, CO.  Some of his favorite rally’s to participate at in Colorado include Walden, Windsor, Fairplay, and Fredrick. Kenny’s began flying his 135,000 cf balloon May 2021 and he recently completed his Commercial Pilots certificate in February 2020 so he can help others in the future to achieve their dream of flying.  Flying is a family event for the Bradley clan as Kenny is often accompanied by his experienced crew members including Lydia (daughter), and Border Terrier; Standish’s Up Up and Away – aka “Chase” the Team Mascot.

Pilot:

In 1985 my parents attended the Tucson Balloon Festival, where they crewed for a local Balloon pilot. They were given an opportunity to fly during this event. They were hooked!!! The pilot like most, said that they could come out and crew anytime he was flying and that he never turns down good help. Well, Hot Air Ballooning is an early morning weekend sport, I was just a child and as it turns out there isn't a lot of options for child care at 5AM on a Saturday. So I got to tag along. As a child, I would crew for every Pilot and Balloon possible, especially the special shapes. I learned each different manufactured system and all the different ways each Pilot sets up and flys. I decided at a young age that I was going to be a Pilot. At 14 I began logging student hours, however school, and then work, and later a career seemed to get in the way of my dream. In 2018 I was given an opportunity to purchase my own balloon and not much later in 2019 I obtained my Private Pilots License. As a Balloon Pilot I now have the opportunities to share my lifelong passion for Flying and Balloons. One of my biggest joys of flying a Hot Air Balloons would be seeing the joy it gives to kids, because I was once that Kid.

Balloon:

This Aerostar Balloon is named Concho. Its pattern is what Aerostar calls a rally design with a Blue background and Yellow stripes. Concho holds 90,000 cubic foot of air and carries the Pilot and up to 3 passengers. 

Pilot: Way back in the day I took a balloon ride was instantly addicted and needed my next fix so I went to school learned how to fly and spent all my money on supporting my new addiction.

Balloon: It's is a pretty balloon So Come Czech it Out!!

Pilot: I have been obsessed with the world of hot air ballooning for as long as I can remember! I finally got to take my first ride in 2018, and from that moment forward, I was hooked, and knew I wanted to do this forever. I became a private pilot in 2020, and a commercial pilot in 2022! I love sharing the experience of hot air ballooning with everyone I meet!
My balloon names mean paradise in different languages.   Floating through the air is my paradise for sure! So cool!!

Balloon: Rainbow in the sky- paradise

Pilot: Mike Fleury has been flying hot air balloons for 42 years. He and his wife, Becky, have a balloon tour company in Tucson, Arizona and have been flying there for 35 years. Mike has won many awards for balloon competitions over the years. The largest prize was a brand new Ford F250 that he won at Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in the key grab event in 1998, competing with 800 other balloon pilots! This year will be Mike's 40th year in a row participating in AIBF, the largest balloon rally in the world.

Balloon: Fleur de Tucson is a black spectrum Aerostar balloon with rainbow colors (turquoise added for Arizona) and is a personally designed unique pattern. The basket has a seat for older and younger passengers' comfort.

Pilot: Susan and her husband, Greg, are both commercial lighter-than-air pilots from a small-town community in the Gila Valley of Southeastern Arizona. They enjoy flying the skies side-by-side as a husband and wife team. Susan started crewing for hot air balloons in 2007 but Greg, a fixed-wing pilot for 32 years, had no interest. Finally in 2016, Greg realized Susan, a breast and ovarian cancer survivor, deserved to live her dream. The couple bought a balloon and Greg became a commercial hot air balloon pilot. Determined to fully embrace the sport, Greg flew 100 hours in his first four months finding his new passion for ballooning and they opened AZ Air Ventures. In January of 2019, Susan fulfilled her dream by becoming a LTA pilot and earned her commercial LTA license in June of 2019. The Lindsey's now share the sky in their two Adams balloons, a remake of their first balloon, Just Ducky, and Floating Awaysis, a custom artwork balloon depicting a lake scene with palm trees, cactus and the Arizona mountains during sunrise and sunset.

Balloon: Colors of the southwest adorn the top and bottom thirds of the envelope including yellow, red, orange, purple, and light and dark blues. These vibrant colors frame a bright yellow equator where eight silhouetted flying and swimming ducks rest on light blue panels on every other gore.

Pilot:

I was drinking a beer on the back porch Friday night when a neighbor came by and said , "Hey! You wanna go crew balloons in the morning?!" And so it began.

I crewed for a guy who ran a ride business for over 2 1/2 years. He also had an approved Part 141 school (FAA approved curriculium) to teach hot air balloon pilots. I crewed every weekend and got thrown in the basket ocasionally. It wasn't until I had a few opportunities for some time on the burner that I got hooked. I spent the next 10 months completing my training (book studies and flying) that I finally received my commercial pilot certificate. After that (it's like having a driver's license and no car) that I had to buy my first balloon!

Since then I have been blessed to fly all over the Western US, making friends throughout. I now fly with my 19 year old daughter who is also a pilot!

We fly 'High Def', a custom designed balloon which is a Cameron O-90.

Balloon: A yellow balloon surrounded with primary colors around the equator and on the top.

Pilot:

Tristan MacLean is a lighter than air hot air balloon commercial pilot from Albuquerque New Mexico. Born and raised in Albuquerque. He has always had balloons in his surroundings. Approximately 13 years ago he began crewing and obtained his pilot license in 2017 before obtaining his commercial pilot license in 2019 now with over 250 hours, Tristan enjoys flying around the country and meeting all new people, Pilot, and friends. Tristan flys the balloon "Hot Minute" for his company "Always Time to Fly" He is grateful to participate in the Gila Valley balloon, extravaganza, and look forward to meeting all new people. You'll know his crew, because most, if not all of them will be wearing cowboy hats!

Balloon: Hot Minute ^amp^*128293; is from Albuquerque New Mexico and is a Cameron balloons 105,000 ft.³ hot air balloon.

Pilot: I HAVE BEEN A BALLOON PILOT FOR 36 YEARS. I FLEW COMMERCIALLY FOR SMITHS/KROGER FOR 4 YEARS. FLEW FOR NORWEST BANK /WELLS FARGO FOR 17 YEARS. NOW FLYING FOR FUN AND DOING WHAT I LOVE. I HAVE FLOWN IN ALL BUT A FEW STATES IN THE LOWER 48 CANADA AND MEXICO. LOVE DOING SPLASH AND DASHES GETTING PASSENGERS FEET WET.

Balloon: PICTURE SUBMITTED

Pilot: Susan and her husband, Greg, are both commercial lighter-than-air pilots from a small-town community in the Gila Valley of Southeastern Arizona. They enjoy flying the skies side-by-side as a husband and wife team. Susan started crewing for hot air balloons in 2007 but Greg, a fixed-wing pilot for 32 years, had no interest. Finally in 2016, Greg realized Susan, a breast and ovarian cancer survivor, deserved to live her dream. The couple bought a balloon and Greg became a commercial hot air balloon pilot. Determined to fully embrace the sport, Greg flew 100 hours in his first four months finding his new passion for ballooning and they opened AZ Air Ventures. In January of 2019, Susan fulfilled her dream by becoming a LTA pilot and earned her commercial LTA license in June of 2019. The Lindsey's now share the sky in their two Adams balloons, a remake of their first balloon, Just Ducky, and Floating Awaysis, a custom artwork balloon depicting a lake scene with palm trees, cactus and the Arizona mountains during sunrise and sunset.

Balloon: Colors of the southwest adorn the top and bottom thirds of the envelope including yellow, red, orange, purple, and light and dark blues. These vibrant colors frame a bright yellow equator where eight silhouetted flying and swimming ducks rest on light blue panels on every other gore.

Pilot: Steven is based in Albuquerque, NM and has been an hot air balloon pilot since 2003. He flies 'Miss Shenanigans', a custom made 90,000 cf balloon manufactured by Adams Balloons. Steven enjoys flying the southwest with his wife, Patty, and two daughters Elizamarie and Veronica.

Balloon: Teal color with pink and yellow vertical stripes.

Pilot:

Shelena's love of hot air balloons started at a young age when she first saw a balloon at the US National Championships in her hometown. The championships moved to a different state and it was years later when attending her first rally as volunteer crew when that love grew to passion. Her passion spread to her husband and attending that first rally led to travelling the country crewing for other pilots for years. After her first flight in 2017, she was totally hooked on becoming a pilot. Thanks to the many pilots who helped her start her training she went from a student pilot flying occasionally to, buying her first balloon before finishing her training and flying as often as the weather allows now. Shelena loves the excitement and happiness that hot air balloons bring to others and enjoys involving volunteers in helping with her balloon.

Pilot:

Debbi has been chasing and/or flying balloons since 1983, when she and her family attended an event in Colorado and became hooked on the idea. Over the course of several years, she crewed for, then learned to fly from a local pilot In her area. Now a commercial pilot, Debbi and husband Don have had 6 different balloons, flown in three foreign countries and multiple states. This year she is flying their latest addition, 'Sans Souci', which continues to follow the 'No Worries' theme of all their previous balloons. It was her pleasure to be able to 'test fly' the Safford area with hosts Susan and Greg Lindsey in preparation for this event a number of years ago.

Balloon: It's big and round and has lots of colors! (And a large band of white through the middle...)

Pilot: Later

Pilot:

In 1983, Provo UT decided they wanted a Balloon Fest as part of America's Freedom Festival - a July 4th celebration Freedom and Independence. When they asked Susie and I to help organize it, I agreed upon the one condition - I got to go on a flight. Hot Air ballooning was the last of 25 item I had listed when I arrived in Utah from Chicago and the University of Notre Dame a decade earlier in 1983. This list included hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, climbing Mt Whitney, several other mountains, hang gliding, sky diving, scuba diving, spelunkin, and a host of other recreational activities. By 1993 I had done 24 of the 25 things on the list so when asked to organize an event it was only natural to negotiate for a ride. After that first ride in 1994, I earned my LTA license about a month later, then my commercial LTA license a few months after that. Our family has enjoyed ballooning now for over 38 years, we've competed at the US Nationals (1989-1991) and flown in several locations throughout the US and internationally. Perhaps the most unique flight we've done was a midnight flight over Provo on New Year's eve. Dawn Patrol in Boise, Reno, and 50th Anniversary Fiesta in Albuquerque, or flying Bryce Canyon at the request of the National Parks are some of the more memorable flights we've done.

Balloon: Our balloon was designed to celebrate the freedoms we enjoy in America.  The balloon n-number is N-1776N and its inaugural flight was July 4th 2017

Pilot:

In 1972 Keith attended Albuquerque's first balloon rally and was thrilled watching those 13 balloons inflate and take off. It wasn't until 2000 that he took his first balloon flight, celebrating his 20th anniversary with Margie, his wife of 42 years. Keith was hooked and began crewing for and learning from the best. So began his weekly adventures and now, with over 1250 hours and a commercil pilot, enjoys competiting in two local balloon clubs. He still loves to fly first timers and welcome them into the wonderful family of ballooning

 

Balloon: Head 90,000 cubic foot multi color pattern forming a Greater Sign >